Hosted PBX IVR applications

Translation rules

ANI translation rule

If ANI authentication is turned on, the voice application will attempt to authenticate the customer’s phone number (so he does not have to enter a PIN). Unfortunately, caller identification (ANI or CLI number) is usually delivered in the “local” format, without the country code, etc., e.g., “021234567.” In this case, you need to translate the number into a unified format so it will match the ID of the billing account. The recommended format is a non-numeric prefix followed by an E164 number.

For example, assuming that the country code is 44, we can apply ANI Translation Rule s/^0/ani44/ to obtain “ani4421234567” as the authorization ID.

This allows you to manage numbers from different countries (so they will not overlap) and the “ANI” prefix will ensure that these accounts are not confused with the actual phone numbers provisioned for on IP phones.

Prompts & notifications

Play welcome message

If this option is enabled, the IVR will play the welcome message to a user once he reaches an access number.

Languages

Conf language list is preferred

If this checkbox is selected, the language list defined on this page has a higher preference than the account’s preferred language.

Select languages

This option allows the user to select the language(s) to be used for voice prompts.

Click Select languages to open the language selection dialog box and define languages in a specific order, and then upon reaching an access number, the end user can choose one of these languages.

Prompt customization

Brand prompts 

IVR prompts can be customized per access number. Specify the directory where the custom prompt files are located. The Media Server will look for the prompts in that folder first and if found – use them. Otherwise, it will use default files.

For example, put customized English prompts under the directory /porta_var/psmsc/custom-files/prompts/brands/my_company/en and specify “my_company” in this field.

Confirm by pound

If this option is enabled, the IVR suggests confirmation of multi-digit input by pressing the ‘#’ key.

Default prompt timeout, sec

The maximum number of seconds the system waits until a user dials a key before playing a prompt. By default: 3.

Time announcement

Announce Time

When the user inputs the destination, IVR announces the maximum call duration allowed to this destination and then connects the call.

Use announcement tariff

It is possible to use different tariffs for the announcements of maximum call duration allowed and the call’s rating. The first (transparent) tariff should be associated with the “ANNOUNCE+DNIS” access code in the product’s Services and Rating list. The second tariff should be associated with an actual access code. Thus, the user hears the time announced according to the first tariff while the call is actually authorized and rated according to the second tariff.

Seconds rounding mode

This option defines the way the seconds portion of “available time” is announced to a customer:

• none – there is no rounding, so the time is announced including seconds, e.g., “Five minutes and 49 seconds.”

• up – the time is rounded up to the nearest minute, so 5:49 will be announced as “Six minutes.”

Accounting

Access code

This allows you to apply a special rating to outgoing calls made by customers from their voice mailboxes.

For example, if an administrator specifies the VOICEMAIL access code in the application settings, then PortaBilling will use a rating entry with this very access code from the account’s product to authorize outgoing calls from users’ voice mailboxes.

Prompts & notifications

Credit accounts balance announcement

You can configure your IVR applications to announce the current balance for credit accounts in one of two modes:

• Funds/balance – for prepaid customers (those who have a credit limit of 0 or less), announce “available funds” (calculated as credit limit minus balance) and announce the current balance for others (postpaid customers);

• Balance – always announce balance (this is the classic mode, ideal for typical postpaid customers).

Note that the third mode, Backward compatibility mode is enabled by default. It preserves the announcements exactly the way they worked in releases prior to MR35.

Announce credit limit

If enabled, the balance announced to the end user will be followed by an announcement of the credit limit. This allows you to separate cases where credit limits are assigned only as a precaution (and so the end user should not really know about them) from cases where they are an integral part of the service (e.g., loyal customers are rewarded with an increased credit limit the longer they stay with you).

Full mailbox notification

Select this checkbox to play a notification during voicemail access when a mailbox is full.

Play dial-tone notification

The IVR plays the dial tone when end users make outgoing calls from their voice mailboxes.

Language

Select languages

This option allows the user to select the language(s) to be used for voice prompts.

Click Select languages to open the language selection dialog box and define languages in a specific order, and then upon reaching an access number, the end user can choose one of these languages.

Prompts customization

Brand prompts

IVR prompts can be customized per access number. Specify the directory where the custom prompt files are located. The Media Server will look for the prompts in that folder first and if found – use them. Otherwise, it will use default files.

For example, put customized English prompts under the directory /porta_var/psmsc/custom-files/prompts/brands/my_company/en and specify “my_company” in this field.

Confirm by pound

If this option is enabled, the IVR suggests confirmation of multi-digit input by pressing the ‘#’ key.

Default prompt timeout, sec

The maximum number of seconds the system waits until a user dials a key before playing a prompt. By default: 3.

Application specific

Allow to check account balance

Select this checkbox to allow end users to check the current balance from the voice mailbox.

Allow to place an outgoing call

Select this checkbox to allow end users to make outgoing calls from the voice mailbox.

Extended greetings options menu

When selected, this allows end users to access the Extended greetings options voicemail menu and change their voicemail greetings.

Authentication

Maximum Login Attempts

Specify maximum number of attempts for a user to enter a card number. By default: 3.

Prompts & notifications

Play welcome message

If enabled, the IVR will play the welcome message to the user once he reaches an access number.

Language

Select languages

This option allows the user to select the language(s) to be used for voice prompts.

Click Select languages to open the language selection dialog box and define languages in a specific order, and then upon reaching an access number, the end user can choose one of these languages.

Prompts customization

Brand Prompts

IVR prompts can be customized per access number. Specify the directory where the custom prompt files are located. The Media Server will look for the prompts in that folder first and if found – use them. Otherwise, it will use default files.

For example, put customized English prompts under the directory /porta_var/psmsc/custom-files/prompts/brands/my_company/en and specify “my_company” in this field.

Confirm by pound

If this option is enabled, the IVR suggests confirmation of multi-digit input by pressing the ‘#’ key.

Default prompt timeout, sec

The maximum number of seconds the system waits until a user dials a key before playing a prompt. By default: 3.

Application specific

Maximum people in a conference

The maximum number of people who can join a conference. By default: 8.

Record with Review

If this option is enabled, the IVR will play back the name that the end user recorded; if preferred, it can be re-recorded.

Options available after joining a conference

There is a number of options available for a Moderator or a Participant after joining a conference. Press the star (‘*’) key to hear the conference menu and select an option.

In case you join a conference as a Participant, the following options are available by dialing the corresponding numbers:

1 – Mute or unmute yourself;

2 – Decrease your talking volume;

3 – Increase your talking volume;

5 – Decrease the conference volume;

6 – Increase the conference volume;

* – Exit menu.

As a Moderator, you have access to the following options:

1 – Mute/unmute yourself;

2 – Decrease your talking volume;

3 – Increase your talking volume;

4 – Eject the last entered user;

5 – Decrease the conference volume;

6 – Increase the conference volume;

7 – Lock/unlock the conference;

0 – Enter Moderator sub-menu;

* – Exit menu.

To enter Moderator sub-menu dial 0 (zero) or ‘*0’ starting from entering menu. The sub-menu includes the following options:

1 – Mute or unmute all users who are not moderators;

2 – Listen to participants count;

4 – Eject all users;

* – Exit sub menu.

Authentication

Maximum length of the auth code

Maximum allowable length for an authorization code. By default: 4.

Maximum login attempts

Specify maximum number of attempts for a user to enter a card number. By default: 3.

Authorization

Authorize paid calls

Enable this option to perform an additional verification for toll calls.

This will prevent unauthorized usage of phones available in public areas. Furthermore, if a single phone is shared among multiple users, then the outgoing calls can be billed to separate accounts; this will allow for accountability for each user based on the input authorization code.

By default: disabled. Note that if this option is disabled and the Treat Auth Code as Part of Account ID option is enabled at the same time, the user will only be able to make toll-free calls.

Treat auth code as part of account ID

Enable this feature if a single phone is shared among multiple users and there is a need to bill outgoing calls to separate accounts; the account with ID AccountID#AuthCode (account ID followed by # followed by authorization code, e.g., 12121234567#1234) will be used to authenticate the call.

If this feature is disabled, the input authorization code will be compared with the account’s Service Unblock Code (defined in the Fraud Detection tab) to confirm that a legitimate user is attempting to make a call.

By default, this feature is enabled.

Use associated number to produce auth ID

When this option is enabled, the application checks for an associated number specified for the account. If there is one, the authorization is done using the associated number and authorization code input by the user (i.e. account’s associated number followed by # followed by authorization code, e.g., 74951234567#1234) will be used to authenticate the call).

By default this is disabled.

Prompts & notifications

Announce time

When the user inputs the destination, the IVR announces the maximum call duration allowed to this destination and then connects the call.

By default this feature is disabled.

Disconnection warning

Disconnection warning interval

This feature announces the remaining time in seconds or simply plays a “beeping” sound. This “time left” warning is played when a specified number of seconds is left before the call is disconnected.

Repeat every, sec

This feature allows you to provide multiple warnings before the call is disconnected because of insufficient funds. In this case, IVR repeats the warning every specified number of seconds until the end of the call.

These warnings help your customers to estimate whether there is enough time to finish their conversation or not, or if necessary, to top up their balance.

Type of disconnection warning

Choose one of the following types of “time left” warnings:

• beep – play “beeping” sound.

• voice – announce the remaining time in seconds.

Prompts customization

Confirm by pound

If this option is enabled, the IVR suggests confirmation of multi-digit input by pressing the ‘#’ key.

Default prompt timeout, sec

The maximum number of seconds the system waits until a user dials a key before playing a prompt. By default: 3.